Down at a local nature reserve last weekend (well, it's an old sewage works, to be exact), I heard the strange, bubbling call of a female Cuckoo, something I haven't heard locally in a long time. In no time at all, two males were in attendance, replying with their familiar song. One remained fairly elusive, although I caught glimpses, but the other took up position on a tree near me, so despite the failing light I was able to get a few pics.
When I went back on Monday night, one of the males was still around, singing constantly, and there was an occasional distant second male, but neither sight nor sound of the female. It's a site with lots of Reed Warblers, though, one of the Cuckoo's preferred host birds, so she might well just have been sitting tight, looking for a suitable nest to parasitise.
2 comments:
Wonderful to get these photos, Matt. We have heard more Cuckoo song this year than for a long time, but have yet to spot the singers!
Terrific photos, Matt! How colourful cuckoos are, close-up. I haven't yet heard one on the Gloucestershire farm I visit. No one heard one there last year. Someone who's lived there since 1975 had heard them every year, until they became erratic about 3 years ago. Perhaps we will be luckier this cuckoo time!
Post a Comment